How do you see your sales reps, are they underachievers or overachievers? Do you motivate them enough or too much? Do you understand that in many circumstances they represent the most important link in your entire product chain? Many of these questions are gaining additional focus as the entire pharmaceutical sales industry reinvents itself. Salesforce effectiveness and the importance of effective implementation are critical factors today and the pharmaceutical consultant must carefully look at all sales force management practices. While we are coming to understand that a far more targeted approach must be given to communication with the prescribing professional, we also need to understand that on our end, the sales rep must also be “analysed” as an individual, as they have entirely different motivators and reasons for behaving the way that they do.

Traditionally, companies deploy their sales representatives in a tightly focused area. Pharmaceutical marketing training revolves around specific products and given approaches. Indeed, a lot of companies think that their sales representatives are only capable of focusing on one product at a time, are poor at multitasking and are basically inefficient. From listening to the professional prescriber, the pharmaceutical consultancy knows that they often complain about being overloaded, having to meet with too many of these various sales representatives and as a consequence feel that the entire process is not personal enough. Remember, that the doctor has an enormous number of different products to focus on and therefore it would be far more productive if the meeting with the pharma sales rep was able to cover a broader range of product solutions. It’s up to the pharmaceutical consultancy to help the company move towards this different approach. This may not work in a particular market, within a particular route or in certain product areas, but the company must be willing to gather analytical data to give them a better grasp of potential.

It’s so important to understand what drives each individual member of the sales team. Compensation is of course a powerful motivator, but unless you know what makes them “tick” and what is important to him or her, there’s a danger that you can completely miss the target with compensation. One size does not fit all in this environment and you should never assume that an approach is “adequate” across the board. If targets and bonuses are within easy reach of the individual, that person is not likely to be sufficiently motivated to help the company reach its absolute goal. The cost of compensation is clearly one of the largest issues for any organisation, but care is required.

It’s also essential to treat a sales representative carefully, as very often the personal inter-communication between this person and the healthcare professional can make a difference in total productivity. Generally, pharmaceutical marketing training should focus on the particular strengths of each individual, and be ready to provide them with more resources and additional product responsibility if need be. In short, the pharmaceutical consultant must analyse the process and style of interaction with the end-user, revealing the important dynamics necessary to provide backup.

Alan Gillies is the Director of L2L Consulting, an elite pharmaceutical consultancy firm which specialises in Strategy Development and Implementation Excellence for prestigious multi-national organisations.

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